Advice Needed

[lankeela]

Smashed headIight, indicator and front wing on troIiey bay in Sainsburys car park - cost about £600 to repair - insurance excess £350 but may be a write off - best way to proceed? Van worth about £1000.

[woofgang]

well I think you have to tell the insurance company anyway.

[ToraToraTora]

fix it yourself and don't bother telling the insurer, they'd like you to but it's a whole world of pain and irrelevant. Get used replacements lights on ebay and get the local body shop to do what they can, should cost less than what you'll have to pay in excess.

[ToraToraTora]

what's the van, model and year?

[woofgang]

It may be a whole world of pain, but depending on the terms of your insurance, it can also invalidate it.

[Baldric]

You damage your vehicle
You pay for repairs yourself and don't claim.
No one else was involved.
Where is the problem in that?

[Buenchico]

An analogy:
My car is ancient but a good, reliable runner. When it's due for its MOT, I put it into my local garage for pre-MOT assessment with the instruction: "If the cost of the repair is less than what it would cost me to buy another reliable car, go ahead and do it".

So I suggest that you adopt a similar approach:
If the van is reliable, work out what it would cost you to replace it with an equally reliable van (in the same general condition). i.e. take the cost of a replacement van and subtract what you'd get as the scrap value of your old one. If that exceeds the cost of fixing your old van, then fixing the old one is the option you should go for (as, either way, you'll end up with something very similar).

However if your old van is already unreliable (or you know that it would cost a massive amount to get it through its next MOT), then take the opportunity to ditch it and get something better now.

[lankeela]

Probable write off. Engineer coming to inspect but will try to have repaired and keep it.

[TWR]

Lan, interesting topic this, we have all seen these trolleys left about on the Supermarket car parks, was it left out of it's Parking Bay? ( The Trolley that is) It's the Stores duty to collect these things and return them to their parking bays.

[ToraToraTora]

I think she hot the actual trolley bay TWR.

[DSJ]

Is that damaged too?

[lankeela]

I was watching the upright as I puIIed into a parking space next to a covered troIIey bay - but I did not see the metaI poIe round the bay which sticks out about four inches and cannot be seen as its beIow the fieId of vision as you are watch the upright. Van has been written off but as cosmetic damage they are aIIowing me to keep the van and wiII pay me. Just waiting to hear how much!

[ToraToraTora]

have you got to pay for the trolley shelter?

[lankeela]

No reaI damage to it, as it was soIid metaI! Anyway I didn't hang around to find out......

[Answerprancer]

Nah, bodge it up with bits from a breakers yard - there's always hope!

[tonyav]

Don't accept their first offer, lankeela. It will most likely be bottom book price.